


Boys Only Night

by megyal



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-02
Updated: 2012-04-02
Packaged: 2017-11-05 16:35:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/408598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megyal/pseuds/megyal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kotetsu finds out about his partner's sexual orientation. He deals with it as only Kotetsu can.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Boys Only Night

**Author's Note:**

> For [**samsarapine**](samsarapine.livejournal.com)'s prompt: _Tiger/Bunny or Bunny/Tiger or just Tiger & Bunny gen, I'm not picky. I mainly love Tiger just being his Tiger self._ It's kind of in-between, but I love Tiger a lot, so there's that.

Kotetsu would tell anyone who asked that he had discovered Barnaby's sexual orientation almost by accident. Antonio claimed that 'by accident' was Kotetsu's default _modus operandi_ , anyway, but Kotetsu took offence to that, seriously.

"I couldn't find Barnaby last night, at all," he had said to Nathan as they'd slumped against their usual spot at the bar, late Friday afternoon. Well, _Kotetsu_ slumped, stirring his drink in a rather sulky fashion, while Nathan displayed proper posture as usual, alert gaze scanning the room. "And when I _did_ find him, it was just this morning, and that was _after_ I had to fill out all the paperwork myself. He wouldn't tell me where he was! That's _not_ how partners work."

"He's your partner, not your boyfriend." Nathan turned on his stool to take a quick sip of his tall, red drink. Almost absently, he added: "Besides, he was fine, you didn't have to worry. He was at my club last night." 

As soon as that little tidbit of information left his lips, Nathan's expression appeared deeply wry, for Kotetsu turned on him with eyebrows raised almost into the brim of his hat.

"What?!"

"Sweetie, can I get another round for me and my friend?" Nathan asked the bartender. "This is going to take some alcoholic reinforcement. More of the same is fine."

"Wait, wait, wait." Kotetsu flapped one hand urgently. "What was _Barnaby_ doing in your club? That's a gay club!"

"It's not like it's exclusively gay," Nathan said, removing the cherry from his new drink and popping it into his mouth. "Everyone is welcome."

"But Thursday is usually Boys Only Night," Kotetsu insisted and then assumed an expression of deep thought, which probably looked more like heartburn. "I'm kinda surprised I know that."

Nathan sighed, propping up his elbow on the top of the counter and placing a slender hand under his chin."So what?" 

"So _what_?! Let me tell you something about Bunny, Nathan." Kotetsu straightened up. "Let me tell you _something_ ," he repeated sternly, "'cause I'm the one who knows him best." He glared when Nathan snorted in amusement. "He _doesn't party_. He doesn't know how to do it. I've tried to teach him, but he's the kind of person who wouldn't know fun if it came up and bit him! On the shoulder, or somewhere."

"He looked like he knew enough last night," Nathan commented and closed his eyes briefly at Kotetsu's own eyes, which were wide open at that moment in time. "Could you forget that? Just forget I said that."

"Okay," Kotetsu said, agreeably and then scowled. "No. No, I'm not going to forget this, just because you said."

Nathan smiled at him, all smug and sly."It's worked before," he said, and laughed when Kotetsu squawked out indignantly. 

"Barnaby was in a gay club last night," Kotetsu said, staring at his beer-bottle very intently. "Barnaby. Gay club. Last night."

"Doesn't mean anything," Nathan said. "Or it could. Either way, it's none of your business."

"Didn't answer his phone at all. I mean, it wasn't an emergency, if it was, you know, a crime or something, he'd definitely answer. Gay club. Last night. Barnaby."

"Still a puzzle, honey?" Nathan sounded uninterested and apprehensive at the same time.

"Shhh! I'm trying to figure this out!" Kotetsu's glower was thunderous. Wheels moved around in his brain, rolling around until they ground to a rusty, impossible halt.

"Nathan?"

"Yes?"

"Is Barbaby..." Kotetsu swallowed, hard. "Gay?"

Nathan wrinkled his finely-powdered nose. "He hasn't said anything to me as yet. But from what I see, it's likely."

Kotetsu sputtered. "That can't be right! He's...he's too manly to be gay! He could _never_..." His towering disbelief petered out at the expression on Nathan's face: it wasn't angry nor even upset, just disappointed. "Aaaaand you've taught me better."

Nathan nodded, staring at his drink fixedly. "So I have."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Nathan said, but he still didn't look at Kotetsu as he took a long sip. 

Hesitantly, Kotetsu reached out and put his hand over Nathan's bigger one. "Seriously, my friend. Me and my big mouth, as usual."

"No worries." Nathan put his other hand over Kotetsu's and leered. "You can always make it up to me, right? You and that big mouth of yours."

Kotetsu flailed. That's how he knew everything was alright again.

*

"Whatever is going through that thick head of yours, you need to quit it." Barnaby's bored, flat tones filtered in through the comm system in Kotetsu's helmet as they battled through a yelling group of heavily-armed thugs. "You're not paying attention."

"I'm paying attention," Kotetsu insisted, punching one unfortunate fellow in the face. Neither of them had activated their Hundred Power as yet, still depending on the strength of the suits. If there was a NEXT in this group, they might have to, soon. 

Barbaby kicked away one guy and delivered a neat uppercut into the chin of another. Kotetsu tried to take on two at once, was overcome until he punched them away, huffing in annoyance. Barnaby wasn't even breathing hard. He was just looking in Kotetsu's direction, face-plate up and head tilted at a slight angle.

"You're thinking too hard about something," Barnaby finally concluded, crossing his arms across his chest as Kotetsu flung the last attacker against the closest brick wall. "You know what happens when you think too hard."

Kotetsu brushed off his hands theatrically, before pointing at Barnaby. "We don't go out enough together!" he said. "We should! We're partners!"

"What? Where did _that_ come from?" Barnaby's head-tilt gained an angle of alarming thoughtfulness. "And don't shout. I'm right here. You only get extra-loud when you're worried, or afraid--"

"We're going out this Thursday, me and you," Kotetsu decided at the same decibel as before. "We're going to Nathan's place, _Pyro._ You and me! Bunny and Tiger! Men about town!"

Barnaby had straightened his head and had lifted his face-plate. His gaze was very clear, and very direct, and very, very unsettling. "Kotetsu--"

"I know it's a gay club, Bunny," Kotetsu said, very quietly. "I've been there...but not on Boy's Only Night."

"Nathan just can't keep his mouth shut, can he," Barnaby said more than asked. His bland expression didn't change much, but Kotetsu was _Tiger_ , he had _eyes_ of _awesomeness_ , he could _see things_ that no-one else could; also, he'd known Barnaby for long enough to understand that the tightness at the corners of his mouth meant that he was either pissed or hungry or very wary or all of the above. _At the same time_.

No one had eyes like Tiger.

Barnaby cut his gaze away, shrugging slightly. His suit issued tiny, officious beeps. "I'm not--"

"I'll buy the first round," Kotetsu promised, hastily. He didn't want Bunny to say 'no'. "Okay?"

Barnaby gazed at him for a few beats more, and then flipped his face-plate down. "All right," he said, turning away and heading towards their conjoined bikes. "First round is on you, then."

"Yes!" Kotetsu stuck out his arm and gave a delighted thumbs-up. Barnaby fired up the bike, revving the engine pointedly. Kotetsu scrambled over, limbs flailing all over the place as he dumped himself into his sidecar.

They had flitted through traffic for about ten minutes, and were waiting at a stoplight, when something huge occurred to Kotetsu.

"Bunny?"

Barnaby revved the engine as the light turned green."Yes?"

"Do the, uh, boss-people know about you? Lloyds and the promotion folk and all that. Or Agnes?" Kotetsu shuddered. The Promotions department was akin to a flock of ruthless carrion-birds, always needing to take pictures and videos, snarling at Kotetsu when he got in the way when they were trying to see Bunny. Agnes was a league of her own, really.

Barnaby made a neat left-turn before answering. "Maybe. I actually don't care, Kotetsu."

"But what about your image?" Kotetsu fretted. "All the _ladies_ \--"

"Kotetsu. What did I _say_?"

"No caring!" Kotetsu yelled, and waved his arms around nonsensically, almost taking out the eye of a cyclist as they zoomed past. "No one cares around here, particularly me, Bunny!"

"Why are you so insane?" Barnaby mused out loud, but to Kotetsu's smug delight, he didn't sound as exasperated as he normally would have.

*

"Tony, hey Tony," Kotetsu rambled into his phone when that Thursday evening rolled around, trotting up the stairs to his bedroom. "What do people wear to clubs nowadays? Like, the gay ones?"

"How the hell should I know?" Antonio said, sounding as if he was eating his way through an entire truckload of dinner. "Why don't you call Seymour and ask _him_? Or, you know, you could call the kid."

"Karina?"

"No," Antonio said. "I meant Ivan."

"I'm going to a gay club," Kotetsu said. "Tonight. Just so you know."

"I heard you," Antonio said and swallowed loudly. 

"That doesn't, you know, freak you out?" Kotetsu yanked open his closet doors and stared at the collection of vests, trousers, plain shirts...and hats. Lots and lots of hats. His favourites, of course, were the flat caps, but Tomoe had thought it amusing to buy other types for him: he currently owned three fedoras, one huge straw hat, a couple baseball caps, a top hat and a fez which had made Tomoe giggle whenever he wore it to the hospital. He loved hats, seriously. Kaede, in her loud way, had been asking recently what he wanted for his birthday, and then broadly hinting that whatever he asked for, he'd end up just getting a hat anyway.

"Eh," Antonio said, in a careless fashion. "I mean, I'm a little freaked out? But not really."

"Not really?" Kotetsu found himself grinning, for some odd reason.

"Nope. Look, I got a slice of chocolate cake from my Aunt Sandy with my name on it. I'll talk to you later. Have fun."

"I guess I will," Kotetsu said, and dialed Nathan's number. When he answered, Kotetsu said, "So maybe you can help me with something to wear to your club tonight? I'm really not--hello? Hello?!" 

The line had gone dead; Kotetsu blinked at the blank screen of the phone for a few moments, before shrugging, slightly stung. He tossed the device onto his bed, and folded his arms, wondering if those black jeans would be acceptable.

Five minutes later, he was in the middle of ironing one of his vests downstairs when a rapid knock on the front door startled him nearly half-to-death. He plugged out the iron, trotted to the door and peered through the peephole. He saw Nathan standing on the small front-stoop, his everyday limousine (the grey one) parked at the curb. Nathan's assistant hefted out a massive garment-bag out of the back-seat of the limo and strode up the steps gracefully.

"We're here!" Nathan crowed as Kotetsu opened the door. "Your fairy godfather for your very first ball. Sonja, too!"

"Hello there," Sonja said with one of her lovely, well-modulated smiles as she got to the top step.

"Oh, hi! ...wait, how did you get here so fast?" Kotetsu wondered. "Your office is clear across town. And you live in Garnet Village, Nathan, so I don't even _get_ how you're here, you must have broken every light--"

"I'm always in time for a fashion emergency!" Nathan stormed in, glaring at the vest on the ironing-board. "Oh, no. No, no, _no_. The club is a no-vest zone, sorry." He snapped his fingers and pointed at the offending article of clothing. The vest burst into flames and Kotetsu dashed over with a frantic howl.

"What the hell?" he demanded as he tossed the cupful of juice he'd been sipping over his burning vest, which was now a soggy pile of charred cloth. There was a hole in the iron-board, too. Kotetsu glowered at Nathan. "You owe me an iron-board."

"I'll buy you two," Nathan promised and then advanced on Kotetsu with a gleam in his eye."Sonja, my darling?"

"Sir?"

"We have our work cut out for us."

Sonja's smile was far too wide for Kotetsu's taste. "Yes, sir." 

Kotetsu tried to edge away, but they were upon him in seconds.

*

"Stop that." Nathan slapped Kotetsu's hand away from where it was fiddling with the collar of a black jacket that was cut shorter and fit tighter than what Kotetsu was used to. It also had a few more zippers, snaps and buttons than was strictly necessary, as far as Kotetsu was concerned. Underneath that was a bright yellow dress-shirt, with a black tie of all things...but Kotetsu liked ties, so that wasn't so bad. He wore plain black jeans, and a pair of mid-thigh boots which gleamed darkly on his feet.

...and no hat. Instead, Sonja had been at his hair with some kind of gel, smoothing back all the bits that always flopped in his face. He tried to touch it now, but Nathan slapped his hand away again.

"Leave it! We're almost here." Nathan peered through the window of the limousine, nodding in satisfaction at the long line of people waiting in the chilly night to get inside the club. "Yay!" He clapped his hands in delight as the vehicle stopped right at the front entrance and the driver came out to open their door. Nathan, resplendent in a very lovely blue suit, stepped out with a flourish, grinning at the crowd when they burst into applause. He waved, and then reached back inside the limo to drag Kotetsu into the flashes of the night. 

"Have fun," Sonja said as she pried his fingers from the frame of the door.

"Smile," Nathan ordered, threading his arm through the crook of Kotetsu's elbow and hauling him along a purple carpet.

"I don't wanna," Kotetsu hissed from behind a ghastly baring of his teeth. "Why did we have to come through the front way? Don't you have a back door?"

Nathan tutted as the bouncer lifted the red sash to allow them entry. "I never go through the back door of my own club." He leered in Kotetsu's direction, predictably. "Unless you're talking about _other_ back doors."

Kotetsu didn't rise to the bait. He felt extraordinarily nervous as they stepped through the doors and into a wide, short corridor, as if it was his first time out as a Hero. He could hear music seeping through the closed double-doors on the other end, and if Nathan wasn't gently tugging him, he would have seriously considered just turning around and going home. Nathan pushed one of the wings of the door open, and the heavy bassline spilled out, washing over them as they enter.

It was a bit early, and the dance-floor was a somewhat sparse, but there was still a rather sizeable crowd, seated at the booths which lined the sides of the room. 

Nathan said, "There's Handsome!" He shoved Kotetsu in an easterly direction. Kotetsu stumbled over his own, well-booted feet and kind of fell into the padded seat of one of the booths.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, trying to right himself.

"Kotetsu," Barnaby murmured from where he was sitting in the shadows of the opposite side. "Hello."

"Uh." Kotetsu scrambled into a position, blinking rapidly. He eyed Barnaby, who looked just about the same, from the neck-up that is: same flippy-hair, same glasses, same indifferent expression. He didn't have on his distinctive red-and-white jacket on, though, but a short fitted pea-coat (in a shade that Nathan would later inform him was called _heather-gray_ ). The collar was big and apparently very stylish. He looked very nice.

"You look so nice!" Kotetsu said, grinning. Barnaby raised one eyebrow and then nodded.

"You look...different, Kotetsu."

"It's all Nathan's fault." Kotetsu scowled in Nathan's direction. Nathan was behind the bar, being very business-like with a few of the bartenders. "He burned my vest, Bunny!"

Barnaby said, "Really," but he didn't sound as if he was sorry for Kotetsu at all; there was an amused tremor to his voice, as if he wanted to laugh. Kotetsu stared at him. That was _so weird_. Barnaby never laughed. Kotetsu was convinced that Barnaby simply didn't know how to laugh. Sometimes he smiled, and depending on who he was smiling at, it could range from a frosty, sarcastic twitch of the lip to a warm, sincere arch which actually showed teeth. But _laugh_? It would probably blow Kotetsu's mind to hear it.

"Yeah." Kotetsu wriggled a little in his seat, tugging at the bottom of his jacket. "Really. So, what do you want to drink?"

Barnaby opened his mouth, and shut it again when Kotetsu held up a hand as if he was stopping traffic.

"Wait, wait," he said, "don't tell me, Bunny. Lemme try to guess. You're my partner, I should know these things!"

"Oh for crying out loud," Barnaby said, leaning back and folded his arms across his chest. "Information like this is not critical to our partnership."

"It totally is," Kotetsu lectured. "Beer?"

"I don't drink beer."

"Hmm." Kotetsu narrowed his eyes. "Figures. Mixed drinks, then. Something with vodka."

Both of Barnaby's eyebrows went up. "Very good. What would you recommend?"

Kotetsu stood up and gave Bunny a heroic thumbs-up, smiling wide. "Leave it to me, Bunny!"

Even as he darted off towards the bar, he could feel the strength of Bunny's eye-roll.

*

Eight potent Screwdrivers later (seven for Kotetsu, one for Bunny), Kotetsu was delightedly singing little snippets of Blue Rose's popular songs, alternated with sodden giggles at everything Bunny said. They'd both removed their jackets, and Kotetsu had been surprised to see that Barnaby had been wearing a plain white shirt.

Barnaby (one of them, at least) said, "Kotetsu, I do believe you're drunk."

Kotetsu thought his serious tone was _hilarious_ , and laughed appropriately.

"Why aren't you dancing, Bunny?" Kotetsu waved an unsteady hand at the dancefloor, which was now packed with a writhing crowd. "Look... _look_ at all those. Uh. Hot guys! They're really handsome and so on!"

One side of Barnaby's thin lips twitched. "I'd rather not. Not tonight."

Kotetsu squinted at him and then got up, tossing back his latest drink. He reached out and grabbed Barnaby's wrist, pouting when Barnaby resisted his tugging.

"Come on," Kotetsu said. "One dance."

"I'm pretty sure you'll hurt us both," Barnaby told him, but amazingly, he got up and allowed himself to be dragged out. Kotetsu shoved his way to the middle of the floor, 'cause that's where any self-respecting Tiger should _be,_ and began to dance.

From the expression on Barnaby's face, and the way the crowd edged away from Kotetsu's flailing limbs, he wasn't dancing as much as he was kind of having some kind of coordinated seizure. Kotetsu grinned and then laughed out loud, doing what he hoped was a reasonable approximation of the Robot. He grabbed Barnaby by both hands and kind of whirled him around, laughing his head off.

"You're making me dizzy, Kotetsu," Barnaby said and twisted his hands out of Kotetsu's uncertain grip. When Kotetsu stumbled, Barnaby slung an arm around him with those seductively quick reflexes, and steadied him.

"Ooooh, my hero," Kotetsu said and then chuckled to himself. They probably looked kind of ridiculous, standing there together in the middle of the dancefloor, close and still like long-time lovers. Barnaby's hand was placed flat in the middle of Kotetsu's back and his face was close enough for Kotetsu to feel the warmth of his exhales.

Slowly, Kotetsu lifted his arms and put them around Barnaby's neck, swallowing past his self-consciousness. Just as slowly, he rested his head on Barnaby's broad shoulder, cheek pressed against the soft material of his shirt. Shuffling from side to side, they danced completely out of time with the pounding of the dance-music.

"This is weird," Barnaby said in between that pause between tracks.

"Weird bad?" Kotetsu leaned back, peering into Barnaby's face worriedly. "Or--"

"Weird okay," Barnaby said and he was smiling. "Thanks. And thanks for the dance."

" _Thanks and thanks_ ," Kotetsu mocked, putting his head back on Barnaby's shoulder to hide his pleased smile. "Who are you, Sky High?"

*

"Owww. My heaaaaaad," Kotetsu groaned as he sprawled on one of the padded benches in the Heroes' gym. "I'm _dying_." 

"What happened to you?" Pao-Lin's worried face hovered over him. "Did you guys work last night? I didn't hear any alerts come in. Barnaby looks fine."

Barnaby trotted on the treadmill with no concern for Kotetsu's pain, _no concern at all_. He was the worst partner ever, Kotetsu concluded, even though he'd brought Kotetsu home last night and had tucked him into bed. Kotetsu wasn't sure, but he could have sworn Barnaby had smoothed his hair from his brow as he'd dozed.

"Hello, darlings!" Nathan trilled as he sailed in, looking as disgustingly fresh as Barnaby. "Oh, there you are, Kotetsu! Next week Thursday again for _Pyro_ , right? You and Handsome looked so hot!"

"Narrgh," Kotetsu answered. Barnaby hopped off the treadmill, mopping away the faint sheen of sweat and gazing at Kotetsu with an unreadable expression. When Kotetsu offered him a pained smile (his cheeks hurt to move), Barnaby smiled back. His lips didn't actually _move_ , but Kotetsu knew warmth in Bunny's eyes when he saw it.

They were partners. Tiger knew a friendly Bunny non-smile! Even if his eyes hated to look at anything right now, oh god.

"Wait," Karina said, slowly. "Isn't Thursday Boys Only Night?" 

_fin_


End file.
